I Beat The Odds Michael Oher

Many Hollywood produced films glorify the life of a certain person to make the given individual seem more interesting and appealing to the audience. However, in a few cases, the film actually degrades the person in hopes of telling a “rags to riches” story. This was most certainly the case in the film The Blind Side, based on the life of African-American football player, Michael Oher. The Blind Side negatively displayed and affected Michael instead of benefitting him and displaying him in a positive light. In his book, I Beat The Odds, Michael reflects on his life :

It’s crazy now, as I look back at my career and the opportunities I have, to think about how I was living just a few years ago. I had to beg for anything I needed; now I have everything I could possibly want. But before my happy ending, there was a very sad story. (Oher 3)

This quote from Michael shows how the events of his life have had an influence on him and how the Blind Side reaches its intended point.

One way The Blind Side negatively displayed Michael was through the portrayal of his football skills.

The film showed Michael as a player who had no experience or knowledge and needed to be taught almost everything regarding the game of football. In reality, that was not the case at all; Michael says, “I always knew how to play the game growing up .” “Oher takes particular issue with the film's depiction of him as a football novice…” (Payne), because the film made him appear as though he had never played football in his life, when in fact the game was very important to him. By the time Michael reached high school he had accumulated years of football knowledge, “I’ve been studying- really studying- the game since I was a little

kid”
(Oher 206)! Michael felt this display of his “weak” football skills would cause people to think differently of him. “... I really didn’t want them to think I was someone who was so clueless about something I had always taken pride in being smart about” (Oher 206). The portrayal of Michael’s seeming lack of football skills and knowledge was contrary to his actual knowledge and ability.
Another way The Blind Side negatively displayed Michael was through the depiction of his intellectual abilities. The film portrayed Michael as a student who struggled in school and who did not really care about his academic success. Michael did have a difficult time in school, but not because he did not care. Michael struggled because he did not have access to the academic resources he needed to help him succeed. His “new family” (the Tuohys, the people who took him into their home) enrolled him in a private school, the Briarcrest Academy in Memphis Tennessee, so that he would have access to those greatly needed resources. The Touhys also hired a private tutor, Miss Sue, to help Michael reach his goal of achieving academic success. “I felt like it [the movie] portrayed me as dumb instead of as a kid who had never had consistent academic instruction and ended up thriving once he got it” (Oher 205). With the help of the Tuohys, and with the access to resources they were able to provide, Michael was able to achieve the academic success he had been striving for.
Although it appears that the film negatively displayed Michael, people may argue that it did so in order to more clearly display the purpose of the movie. The film was meant to tell Michael’s story by giving inspiring and hope to people with struggles of their own. His story would not have been so impactful if his situation had not been exaggerated in the film. Many could, and have, argued that the film positively displayed Michael; however, there is more logical and clear evidence showing the contrary.
One way The Blind Side negatively affected Michael was through his treatment as Dominique Mosbergen stated in her article about Michael, “The film has caused him to endure unfair criticism that stems from a world of Hollywood fiction, rather than reality” (Mosbergen). Michael faced the majority of his criticism on the field, “Offensive linemen don’t get looked at , nobody is paying attention to the offensive line. But me? I’m getting watched for everything” (Pyles). In addition, the film has “taken away from my [Michael’s] football” (Mosbergen). All the backlash Michael has received due to the film has caused him to lose some of his football credibility. This is, in part, because people see him for the person he is shown to be in the movie. “That's [the movie is] why people look at me every play” (Dubin). They use what they see in the film to judge his football skills, instead of his actual, on the field, performance. He perfectly explained this in a quote for The Washington Post. “This stuff, calling me a bust, people saying if I can play or not, that has nothing to do with football. It’s something off the field” (Payne). Michael was affected negatively in his professional environment all because of an incorrect, negative depiction of himself, and the incorrect perceptions that the movie lead people to have of him.
Another way Michael was negatively affected as a result of the movie was how he was recognized. After the film surfaced, Michael became noticed primarily because of the film, not because of his football. He knew that people would connect with the film and notice him because of it, but he did not think it would take away from being acknowledged for his football abilities. To Michael, his football was one of the most important things in his life, and to have some “silly movie” come in and take away from that was hard to accept. He wanted to be recognized because he was doing great things on the field, not because of his difficult and underprivileged past.
Even though it appears that Michael was negatively affected by the film, people could also argue, on the other had, that Michael was positively influenced as well. One way would be through his inspiring of others. Michael inspired many other people as a result of the movie; however, he felt that inspiring even one person would make it all worthwhile. He discussed this in his book, saying, “If my story in The Blind Side can help inspire them [referring to poor and foster children] to find a way out of the ghetto, then it’s all worth it to me” (Oher 206). A second way Michael benefited would be through publicity. The movie and its success got Michael noticed even more. By becoming even more well- known, attention was brought to him and to his football. Michael played left tackle, a position that is often overlooked, but he felt that because of the movie, the position became more appreciated as “... it brought a human face to the position” (Oher 203). Even though people could argue that Michael was positively portrayed, there is a clearer, more valid argument that he was negatively displayed.
Michael Oher’s inspirational “rags to riches” story, as told in the movie, The Blind Side, has positively impacted the lives of many people. However, Michael feels that he was negatively portrayed in the film. Michael was shown in a negative manner both on and off the field. Additionally, he was negatively impacted regarding his public image and his struggle with constant criticism. Based on these things, one statement can be made regarding the film based on his life, The Blind Side: Michael Oher was negatively displayed and negatively affected.